Ruth Bader Ginsburg in hospital with gall bladder infection

Ginsburg was appointed to the court by Bill Clinton in 1993
Credit: AP

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, one of the four liberal justices on the US Supreme Court, has been taken to hospital for a benign gallbladder infection, the court has said.

Ginsburg, a hugely popular liberal stalwart and a social media icon, was treated at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore after a gallstone migrated to her cystic duct, blocking it and causing an infection.

Ginsburg, 87, will spend a day or two in hospital to recover from the non-surgical procedure, the court said.

"The Justice is resting comfortably and plans to participate in the oral argument teleconference tomorrow morning remotely from the hospital," the statement continued.

Ginsburg was appointed to the court by President Bill Clinton in 1993. She is fondly known as "The Notorious RBG," a riff on slain rapper The Notorious B.I.G.

Ginsburg has had a number of health scares
Credit: REUTERS

The judge has had several health scares - she was hospitalised for chills and fever in 2019, and earlier that year she completed a course of outpatient radiation therapy for a localised malignant tumor on her pancreas.